Improvement in steam-valves



WILLIAM F. GOULD;

Improvement in Steam Valves.

' No. 121,358, Paiented Nov-28,1871.

Wiiijpp e a.

PATENT QFFIGE.

WILLIAM F. GOULD, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-VALVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 121,358, dated November 28, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. GOULD, of the city of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain Improvements in a Frictionless Steam-Valve, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to balanced slirlevalves for engines; and consists in a piston mounted in the outside of the steam-chest and'connected to the valve by slotted arms or guides and a friction-roller in such manner that the pressure of the steam tends to force the piston outward, and thereby to lift on the valve and relieve it from friction, as hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a steam-chest and valve constructed on my plan. Fig. 2 is anoutside plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section of the same on the line a; w of Fig. 2.

A represents the valve-chest; B, the valve; and O, the valve-stem. On the outer side of the chest A there is formed a tubular neck or cylinder, D, forming a communication between the interior of the chest and the outside air. 'Within the neck or cylinder D there is mounted a piston, F, and around the piston there is placed a packing-ring, it, held in place by a gland, b, and set-screws 0 so as to form a steam-tight joint. Across the outer end of the neck D, in line with the movement of the valve, there is secured a bar, E, through which the set-screws e that hold the gland I) pass, as shown in both figures. To the outside of the piston there are secured two screw-stems, G, which pass loosely through holes in the ends of bar E, and which are each provided with two check-nuts, i, one on each side of the bar, as shown in Fig.1. On the back of the valve 13 there are two parallel slotted studs, f, and between said studs there lies a bar, g, which has its ends bent at right angles and secured to the inner side of the piston, as shown in Fig. l. A loose roller, I, lies across the bar 9, and has its ends or journals mounted in the slotted studs f as shown. The roller thus arranged holds the piston and the valve together, and prevents them from being forced apart by the pressure of the steam, while at the same time the valve is left free to slide back and forth. As the valve moves to and fro the roller is carried back and forth in the slotted studsf and upon the bar g, sothat all sliding friction between the piston and the valve is avoided. The piston is made of nearly equal area with the valve, so that when the engine is in operation and the chest filled with steam there is almost as much pressure outward against the piston as there is downward upon the valve; so that the valve is only forced down with a pressure equal to the difference between the pressure against the piston and the valve. The valve and the piston may, of course, be made of as near the same area as desired, so that the pressure downward on the valve can be made very slight. The check-nuts must always be kept as near the bar as possible without touching when the chest is filled with steam, so that when the steam is shut off the outside nuts will hold the piston up so that there will be no weight or pressure on the valve, and so also as to prevent any tendency of the valve to tip when the engine is arranged to cut off at less than full stroke.

My valve is cheap, simple, and strong, not liable to become disarranged, and, no matter how great its size or the pressure of the steam, it will work with'great ease.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s The combination of the valve, roller, piston, and intermediate connecting mechanism with the cross-bar E, screw-stems G, and check-nuts 2', when constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses: WILLIAM F. GOULD.

W. L. CARROLL, R. F. BAKER. (152) 

